Gelatin particle indirect agglutination test for mass examination for strongyloidiasis

An indirect agglutination test using recently developed gelatin particles was assessed to determine its applicability as a screening test for mass examination for strongyloidiasis. 1199 individuals in Sashiki Town, Okinawa Island, were screened by the test and 34.7% were determined to be antibody positive. Follow-up examination of the persons whose sera showed positive antibody responses demonstrated the presence of faecal larvae in 41.7%. The calculated infection rate (14.5%) was similar (14.1%) to that indicated by another survey using the micro-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (micro-ELISA), conducted simultaneously among the inhabitants. The indirect agglutination test was simple to perform in a short time and without specialized equipment. Additionally, the gelatin particles have many advantages as an antigen carrier, e.g. in handling, reading of the resulting pattern, and stable, long-term preservation. The test was considered to be more convenient than the micro-ELISA for mass screening for strongyloidiasis.